


The Hothead and the Cat

by bellabee



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Canon Typical Swearing, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Minor Chris "Chowder" Chow/Caitlin Farmer, but figured I'd warn anyways !, but it did end up almost 3x longer than i expected so that's fun, certain cat related activities ensue, derek did, dex has a soft side, focuses mostly on the cat but nurseydex also happens, idiots to lovers, it's just a minor cut that gets fixed up almost immediately, or more accurately, slight trigger warning of wound?, sorry if the end seems a bit rushed I ran out of time :(, they find a cat, though it's pretty minor, who knew
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2020-03-20 13:44:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18993814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellabee/pseuds/bellabee
Summary: William Poindexter was not soft, thank you very much. Anybody who knew him could certainly attest to that. He was as hot headed as his hair would suggest and had a fuse shorter than Bittle. It wasn’t often that he showed emotions other than indifference or anger, and when he did it was usually to Bitty or Chowder. That wasn’t to say that he didn’t feel any other emotions, obviously, he just wasn’t one to show them.This, among many other reasons, was why it was so baffling to Nursey when Dex suddenly stopped on the walk back to the Haus at the sound of a pitiful mewl from a bush. He had come to an abrupt stop, causing Nursey to run into his back and almost topple over. Dex grabbed his arm to steady him, though not without shushing him for the noise he created from his clumsiness.-------While on a walk, Nursey and Dex stumble across an injured kitten. Once they get her fixed up, neither can bear to get rid of her. Thus, she becomes their secret basement cat.





	The Hothead and the Cat

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all ! This is my work for the OMG Check Please Reverse Big Bang 2019! This work coincides with the wonderful artwork that @nubs-mgee created! This is my first work in this fandom, let alone for this ship, so I hope I did a decent job! Let me know what you think! :) 
> 
>  
> 
> My omgcp tumblr is @derekchillnurse but I like/follow from @maxine-gayfield
> 
>  
> 
> ***Edit: I realise that I've got the timeline messed up having Derek and Will live in the Haus at the same time as Holtz and Ransom. I'll try to fix it asap!***

William Poindexter was not soft, thank you very much. Anybody who knew him could certainly attest to that. He was as hot headed as his hair would suggest and had a fuse shorter than Bittle. It wasn’t often that he showed emotions other than indifference or anger, and when he did it was usually to Bitty or Chowder. That wasn’t to say that he didn’t feel any other emotions, obviously, he just wasn’t one to show them.  


This, among many other reasons, was why it was so baffling to Nursey when Dex suddenly stopped on the walk back to the Haus at the sound of a pitiful mewl from a bush. He had come to an abrupt stop, causing Nursey to run into his back and almost topple over. Dex grabbed his arm to steady him, though not without shushing him for the noise he created from his clumsiness.  


“Bro, what the hell,” Derek asked as he righted himself, brushing the invisible dirt off of his pants.  


Dex simply rolled his eyes, not granting the other boy a response as he started to walk over to the bush a couple feet away from him. He crouched down in front of it and paused, holding up his hand to signal Derek to stop where he was standing as he made a move to come closer as he knew he would make too much noise. He carefully moved a few of the tiny branches out of the way, revealing a tiny gray cat that was covering from the tall and intimidating looking boy right in front of him. Dex’s expression softened, and he slowly reached out a hand, pulling it back quickly when the cat hissed.  


“Shh, it’s okay buddy,” he cooed in a voice so gentle Nursey wasn’t even sure that it was Dex speaking.  


Dex reached his hand out slower this time, letting the cat take a tentative sniff of it. He let it get used to his smell before reaching out more, petting the top of his head gently. He took a minute to let the skittish cat get used to him, leaving Nursey standing behind him dumbfounded. He had never seen his fellow d-man like this before, so it came as quite a shock to see him so soft spoken and benevolent. He watched as Dex got the cat to come closer, a perplexed look on his feature as he watched the interaction take place.  


Once Dex had gotten the cat to come close enough to him, he carefully scooped it up. He was curious as to why it hadn’t run or tried to attack, but that was answered for him when he saw a small gash residing on it’s side. He would normally assume that would give the cat more reason to lash out at him, but it seemed as though it was too exhausted to do much else at this point other than nuzzle into his seemingly friendly hands. Dex cradled the cat to his chest, weary of the cut on its side and being careful not to touch it. He finally looked back up at Nursey, ignoring the dumbstruck look on his face.  


“We gotta get her to the vet,” he said, leaving no room for argument in his statement- not that Nursey would have argued anyways.  
Nursey pulled out his phone, fumbling and almost dropping it before managing to get a grip on it. He pulled up his maps, searching for the nearest clinic before nodding for Will to start to follow him.  


“Okay so, there’s one like a 15 minute walk from here,” he said, staring down at his phone to make sure they were going the right way.  
This of course caused him to almost walk into a pole, making Will switch the cat to one arm so he could tug Nursey back by the back of his cardigan to stop him. He rolled his eyes at the sheepish look the other boy gave him and let go of him, telling him to watch where he was going before glancing back down at the cat in his arms. He came to the conclusion that she was cold, so he unzipped his hoodie a bit in order to move her under it. He zipped it back up so that just her head was poking out and brought his arm under her to prop her up.  


“There you go, that’s better,” he said as he brought up a hand to scratch behind her ear.  


Derek looked over at Dex with a puzzled look and shook his head in confusion, “Dude, who even are you right now?”  


Dex rolled his eyes at the comment and flipped him off, “Just walk, Nurse.”  


Derek decided to listen for once in his life and continued to navigate, staying mostly quiet for the rest of the walk. He managed not to run into anyone/thing or fall over, so he deemed it a successful trip as they made it to the emergency clinic. He opened the door, allowing Dex and the now half sleeping cat to walk in before him.  


Dex nodded his thanks at Nursey before walking up to the counter, glad that there was currently only one other person in the waiting room so he was able to talk to the woman at the desk almost immediately. He explained what had happened, and because he didn’t know anything about the cat besides where he had found her, he didn’t have to fill out any paperwork. He sat down in a chair in the waiting area as they prepared a room for her, scratching under her chin to try and keep her calm and comforted.  


Derek watched in disbelief, still not understanding how the Dex he knew was capable of being soft and sweet. This was a side he had never shown anyone before, and it was making Derek reevaluate everything that he knew about him. The look on the red haired boy’s face was one that he had never seen before, especially not directed towards an animal. He had always taken Dex as the type to not enjoy any animals, so it was another shock how enamored he seemed to be with this cat that he had just found.  


Just as he went to say something somebody came out of a set of swinging doors and called Dex and the cat to follow them back into a room to assess the damage. Dex stood up as quickly as he could, though he made sure to be careful not to jostle the kitten too much. He went back with the vet, not sparing a second glance back at Derek as he started explaining the situation.  


Dex and the kitten stayed in the back area for a while, as it took a fair amount of the time for the vet to assess all of the damage and get the cat all patched up. Luckily there wasn’t anything wrong besides the cut, so she didn’t need to stay overnight to be observed. The vet gave him a list of instructions to follow before letting him go once he said that he would be taking care of the kitten.  


To Dex’s surprise, Nursey was still in the waiting room by the time he left. His eyebrows raised a bit as he saw him rise from his seat and walk over to meet him, inquiring about the wellbeing of the kitten.  


“Oh,uh, she’s fine,” Dex replied, confusion lacing his tone. “Why are you still here?” He blurted out.  


Nursey smoothly raised one eyebrow at the question as he reached up, gently scratching behind the kitten’s ear for a moment before letting his hand fall again.  


“What do you mean? Of course I’m still here; I wasn’t just gonna dip out,” he replied like it was obvious.  


Dex’s confusion was still prominent in his expression, as he hadn’t expected Derek to sit and wait for him for that long. Knowing him, he likely had something else he could be doing that would be much more enjoyable than sitting alone for over an hour. Despite his perplexion, Dex couldn’t help but be a bit endeared by the fact that Derek had stayed- not that he would ever admit that, of course.  


“Nothing, I just didn’t think you’d stay is all,” Dex said with a casual shrug.  


He didn’t want to linger on this anymore, so he started to head for the door. He put the kitten back in his hoodie so that it could stay warm on the walk back to the Haus before walking out of the building, holding the door open with his foot so that Nursey could walk out after him.  


Nursey shrugged, not thinking anything of it. “Nah man, it’s chill.”  


Just like that, Dex felt an irrational annoyance run through him. He didn’t know why, but that single word pissed him off like nothing else did. He rolled his eyes as he started walking, cradling the small animal to his chest to help keep her up.  


Derek scoffed, knowing exactly why Dex had suddenly gotten so quiet. He didn’t know why the simple word made him so mad, but it only encouraged him to want to say it even more. He let the semi uncomfortable silence last between them for a few moments before looking back over to his fellow d-man.  


“Dude, mean don’t get me wrong, I love how attached you are to this stray, but there is _no _way that you’re gonna be able to hide her in the Haus without anybody finding out. They aren’t gonna let you keep her, bro. Strict no pets rule, you know that.”  
__

__Dex sighed heavily, ignoring the way his eyes were starting to itch. He knew that he wasn’t allowed to keep a cat in the Haus, and that there would probably be a hefty fine if he got caught, but he couldn’t find it in himself to _not _bring this kitten home and take care of it.  
___ _

___“Yeah, i know. I’ll figure it out somehow. I’ll keep her down in the basement with me, nobody goes down there unless it’s for laundry. It’ll be fine, nobody will find her.”  
_ _ _

___He knew that he was being a bit irrational and naive in thinking that he’d be able to secretly take care of a cat, but he’d be damned if he didn’t try. Poindexters didn’t give up, something that hadn’t taken him very long to realize. He would do everything in his power to keep this kitten as his, even if it meant lying to all of his friends/roommates about her.  
_ _ _

___Derek shrugged, not believing that Will would be able to keep this secret but knowing better than to try and stop her. A determined Will was a stubborn Will, and he wasn’t about to try and get him to change his mind.  
_ _ _

___“Whatever man, just don’t drag me into it when you get caught. I had nothing to do with this.”  
_ _ _

___Dex rolled his eyes again, but was cut off before he could reply. He let out a loud sneeze, letting go of the cat with one hand to be able to cover it with his arm. He scrunched up his nose afterwards, sniffling before bringing his arm back down. He chalked the sudden sneeze up to the slight chill in the air, denial clear in the thought alone.  
_ _ _

___Nursey blessed Will as he sneezed, not thinking much of it at the moment. However, he looked closer to him after a moment. The sneeze was fresh in his mind, but as he looked closer he could see a few more abnormalties in the way Will looked. For one, he could tell that his eyes were clearly irritated and watery. Along with that, his face looked a little bit red. It took him a moment to connect all of the dots, but once he did he felt a heavy sigh leave his lips at the utter stupidity of his former roommate.  
_ _ _

___“Dex, aren’t you allergic to cats?”  
_ _ _

___He remembered him mentioning it in passing long ago, but at the time it had been something irrelevant enough for the information not to stick. Now that he could see the signs of a minor allergic reaction, though, it seemed much more important.  
_ _ _

___Dex’s expression hardened and he strictly kept his eyes forward, refusing to look at Nursey. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to believably deny it, but that didn’t mean that he would admit to it either. He felt the tips of his ears heat up in embarrassment as he clutched the cat more to his chest as if Derek would try to take her from him.  
_ _ _

___“What? No, don’t be stupid. Why would I be holding a cat if I was allergic? That’s just dumb, Nurse,” he deflected.  
_ _ _

___Derek rolled his eyes, knowing that Dex’s denial was obviously just a ploy to get him to back off. He wouldn’t have been so adamant about it if it was actually true, so that in itself gave him away. He knew Dex’s tells, and the fact that his ears were red only served to give him away further. Any time that he tried to lie, he would get just embarrassed enough for his ears to flush.  
_ _ _

___“Uh huh, whatever you say Dex,” he replied in a knowing tone, shooting him a look to tell him that he didn’t believe a word he was saying.  
_ _ _

___Dex harumphed, but he didn’t humor Nursey with another response. They both knew that he was lying, but he still wasn’t going to admit to that. As far as either of them had to know, he was, and had always been, perfectly fine around cats.  
_ _ _

___Before long the Haus was coming into view, and he had to figure out how to get the cat inside without anybody noticing. He checked the time on his phone, knowing that about now Ransom and Holster would be in class and Chowder would be off somewhere with Farmer, but Bitty would probably be in the kitchen baking something or other. He made a quick game plan in his head before turning to Nursey to relay it to him.  
_ _ _

___“Okay so, I’m gonna need you to distract Bitty while I sneak downstairs. It won’t take me long since nobody should be by the basement, but I need a clear path so nobody notices the giant lump in my jacket.”  
_ _ _

___Derek nodded, figuring that they would be able to make that work.  
_ _ _

___“Got it, dude. You get her settled in, and I’ll sneak down with some leftover chicken for her to eat.”  
_ _ _

___That reminded Dex that he would need to get the cat some actual cat food, but he knew he couldn’t just yet. It would be suspicious if he showed up with a bag full of cat food and toys, so he knew he’d have to make the purchases sporadically. He did the math in his head and figured he’s be able to afford a couple cans of cat food a week, but eventually it would be cheaper to try and move her on to hard food.  
_ _ _

___He let that train of thought journey to the back of his mind as they got closer to the house and he carefully pushed the kitten’s head through the hole in his jacket. He zipped it up all the way, trying to make sure that she wasn’t in any way visible before opening the door to the Haus. He nodded towards the kitchen as he heard the familiar sounds of Beyonce wafting from them and waited for Derek to go off that way before making his own moves.  
_ _ _

___He made his way towards the basement door, checking every step that there was nobody there to catch him. He somehow made it there safely and opened the door, quickly walking down a few steps before shutting it behind him. Once he was sure that it was shut he walked down the rest of the steps, flicking the lightswitch before walking over to his bed. He sat down on the edge of it and unzipped his hoodie, pulling out the small animal from within.  
_ _ _

___He set her down on the bed, kicking off his sneakers before adjusting himself so that he could sit with his legs on the bed as well. He watched as she slowly started to sniff the sheets, her curiosity getting the better of her as she explored the bed. Dex had an uncharacteristically soft smile on his face as he watched her, but it was wiped off by another sneeze.  
_ _ _

___He was reminded of the allergy meds in his nightstand drawer and pulled it open, rummaging around before finding the small package. He popped a pill out, putting it in his mouth before swallowing it dry. Even if he was _technically _allergic to cats, that didn’t mean they hadn’t always been his favorire. He proved this by reaching out to pet her again, grinning when she leaned into his touch.  
___ _ _

___He got distracted by the kitten enough that he didn’t register how much time had passed before he heard the basement door being opened. He panicked and grabbed his comforter, placing it over her before grabbing his phone, pretending to have been on it the entire time. He glanced over as he heard the culprit descending the stairs, sighing in relief when he noticed that it was just Nursey. He dropped his phone next to him and removed the blanket from the affronted kitten.  
_ _ _

___Derek noticed his freaked out expression fading, and figured that Dex had forgotten that he was coming back down. He had a small plate of chicken in his hand as he made his way over to the bed and sat down on the edge.  
_ _ _

___“Chill, dude. It’s just me.” He set the plate down before reaching out, grabbing the kitten and bringing her closer.  
_ _ _

___He set her down next to the plate, showing her the food that he had pulled it apart into tiny pieces so that it would be easier for her to eat. Both of the boys watched as she sniffed it curiously before deeming it safe and starting to dig in. Derek looked up from her to Dex after a moment, his words dying in his throat as he took in the other boy’s expression.  
_ _ _

___He looked absolutely smitten with this kitten, something that he had never expected from him. His expression was completely softened, the usual hard lines nowhere to be found. He wasn’t used to seeing Dex without a scowl, let alone with an expression such as that on his face. He determined that he liked that look on his d-men, not that it was something he would ever tell him. He suddenly remembered that he had had something to say and cleared his throat, watching as Dex’s expression lost it’s sudden softness as he looked back up at him.  
_ _ _

___“So, are you actually going to keep her? Like you’re gonna hide a kitten down here?”  
_ _ _

___Dex shrugged and nodded, “Yeah man, I’m gonna try. At least until she’s healed, I don’t want her out there with the cut still on her side. I’m sure I can keep her hidden until then at least. Nobody really comes down here anyways.”  
_ _ _

___Derek nodded and leaned back on the bed, arms held out behind him to keep himself upwards.  
_ _ _

___“Well, if you’re gonna keep her, she’s gonna need at least a temporary name then.”  
_ _ _

___Dex thought about it for a moment before deciding that Nursey was right. At the very least, he would need something to call her. He pondered names for a few moments before coming up with one that seemed to fit her.  
_ _ _

___“Sophie,” he said simply.  
_ _ _

___Derek raised an eyebrow but nodded, seemingly deciding that that would be good enough for the kitten.  
_ _ _

___“Sophie it is,” he agreed. “So, how are you gonna get a litter box down here?”  
_ _ _

___Dex cursed under his breath, as he hadn’t even thought about that. The cat would obviously need somewhere to go to the bathroom, and it was a bit more difficult to hide that than a couple small cans of cat food.  
_ _ _

___“Fuck, I don’t know. I’ll have to figure it out,” he replied, running a hand over his face. “I’ll just have to try and get it when nobody is home, I guess. Isn’t there a party somewhere tonight? I’ll skip and use then to get all the stuff while nobody is home.  
_ _ _

___Derek nodded, figuring that would work as long as everybody else left the house. He thought that it would be a bit suspicious if Dex was the only one to stay back, so he figured he might as well stay back with him.  
_ _ _

___“That works, I’ll just tell the guys we have to stay back to study or something. Chowder might try and stay back though.”  
_ _ _

___Dex raised an eyebrow as Nursey revealed that he would be staying back with him, but he didn’t protest it. He did pause at the mention of Chowder though, as he knew their friend would probably either try and convince them to come or make himself stay back.  
_ _ _

___“Is Farmer going? If she is we can probably convince him to still go.”  
_ _ _

___Derek shrugged and pulled out his phone, sending the girl in question a quick text explaining the situation. He knew that she wouldn’t snitch, especially as he had asked her to.  
_ _ _

___“She is now, we’ll be good to go to get the stuff into the Haus tonight.”  
_ _ _

___Dex nodded, shooting Nursey a half smile, “Thanks, dude.”___  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  


Derek left for his room after another couple of hours of chilling with Dex and Sophie, leaving the latter alone in the basement together. Sophie was now curled up asleep on Dex’s pillow, the image of serenity. A voice in the back of Dex’s head told him that he wouldn’t be able to get rid of her now that he was already attached, but he ignored it for now. He would figure that out when the time came.  


For now, he had to get ready to run to the store with Derek. The rest of the guys had already left for the party, luckily not hounding them too much about bailing on them. The excuse of studying had gotten Bitty to chide the others for teasing them, as the blonde boy had insisted that he and Nursey were being ‘good and responsible’ by staying home to study.  


He felt a bit bad for lying when Bitty was so willing to stick up for them, but he knew that he wouldn’t be able to tell the truth. The no pets rule was pretty strict, and he knew that he wouldn’t be able to get away with it if he told anybody but Derek about Sophie.  


He shook the lingering guilt from his head as he stood up, grabbing his wallet and sliding it into his pocket along with his phone. He was already dressed, so he didn’t need anything else as he quietly walked up the steps so as to not wake the kitten.  


He managed to make it upstairs without alerting it, so he counted that as a win. He shut the basement door behind him and walked to the front door, finding Nursey already there and waiting for him.  


“Hey man, ready to go?” Nursey asked once he noticed Dex, sliding his phone into his back pocket.  


Dex nodded and opened the door, letting Nurse walk out first before following after him. He zipped up his hoodie as he felt the chill of the night against his skin. They walked to the store in a comfortable silence, both glad that it wasn’t too far from the Haus.  


Once inside, they got a cart and made their way to the pet care aisle. They looked along all of the shelves until they got to the area specific for cats. Dex made a mental list of everything he would need and grabbed a litterbox first. He looked through the bags before finding one that seemed decent enough and wouldn’t smell awful without being too expensive.  


“What toys do you want?”  


The words cut through his contemplation of different brands of soft kitten foods and he looked up.  


“What?”  


“Toys, what kind do you want for her? We can’t get ones that make a lot of noise obviously, but what do you think she’d want?”  


Dex had a semi bewildered look on his face at the question, “I wasn’t gonna get her any toys. I’m not keeping her for long.”  


Nursey rolled his eyes as he put in a toy mouse after making sure it didn’t make any noise.  


“Just because you aren’t keeping her doesn’t mean she can’t have fun while you have her. Just get some quiet ones in there.”  


He added in a couple more of the mini and colorful mouses along with a small scratching board. Dex simply sighed and let Derek do what he wished, knowing he wouldn’t change his mind. Once he had decided on a food brand, he grabbed a couple cans of different flavors so he could figure out which she liked. He grabbed a tiny food and water bowl, setting it in the cart before looking over everything.  


“Okay, I think this is it. This should last for as long as I have her.”  


Derek nodded his agreement and the two walked up to the registers to get in line together. They talked casually as they waited for their turn, continuing the conversation as they placed the items on the cart. Once it was time to pay, they both pulled out their wallets.  


“Dude, I’ve got it. I’m the one who got the cat,” Dex protested as he pulled out some cash.  


Derek shook his head as he took out his credit card, “Nah, it’s fine man. I snuck some stuff into the cart, I’ve got it. Just get me back at Annie’s after practice tomorrow.”  


They continued the small disagreements for a few more moments before the cashier pointedly cleared her throat, and Derek handed her his card before Dex could protest again. He shot him a sparkling grin as he punched in his pin number and paid for the items.  


Dex grumbled but thanked his d-man anyways, knowing that he would end up paying him back in some way. They picked up the bags together, thanking the cashier before leaving the store. They carried the stuff back to the still empty Haus, going down to the basement once they arrived and setting everything up. They introduced Sophie to the litterbox before showing her the toys, making sure to be gentle so as to not disturb her cut.  


Time seemed to fly by, and before they knew it their was the sound of the front door opening and aborted attempts of their hausmates to be quiet. Derek checked the time, noticing that it was already nearing one in the morning.  


“Well, I should probably head up to bed. It’s pretty late.”  


Dex checked the time, his eyes widening a bit at just how long they had been down there.  


“Oh shit, didn’t realize how late it got,” he said with a slight laugh. “I’ll see you at practice in the morning.”  


Derek grabbed his phone before getting up, giving Dex one last smile before disappearing up the stairs. Dex let a smile take over his face as he watched Derek leave, forcefully ignoring the way his heart fluttered in his chest. He got up to change out of his clothes, staying in his boxers before shutting off his light and climbing into bed. He laid down, letting Sophie curl up next to him before drifting off into a peaceful sleep.  


He woke up to his alarm the next morning, groaning as he shut it off. He forced his eyes open, doing a double take when he saw the kitten in front of them. It took a moment for the previous day’s events to come back to him, but when they did he let out a heavy sigh.  


“I’m so screwed,” he mumbled as he reached up to push his hair out of his face.  


He pulled himself out of bed, stumbling over to the bags of stuff that they had gotten the day before. He grabbed a random can of food, figuring that the cat would be hungry again by now. He popped the lid and put half of the food in her bowl before putting the rest in the mini fridge that he had fixed up for himself.  


He went to get ready for practice after that, waiting in line to get into the bathroom before washing his face and brushing his teeth. He went back down to his room and threw on some sweatpants and a t-shirt, tying his sneakers before grabbing his gym bag. He made sure that Sophie was comfortable before leaving, shutting the basement door behind him and hoping that nobody would go down there.  


He made his way to Faber, ending up being one of the first there. This wasn’t anything out of the usual, and he sleepily waved at the few guys there as he started to gear up. It didn’t take long for the locker room to fill up with the rest of the team, and he shared a smile with Nursey as he came over to his neighboring locker.  


“How’s, ya know,” Derek asked in a hushed tone, making sure the others didn’t catch on to what he was saying.  


“Pretty good, she was eating when I left,” Dex replied in an equally quiet tone.  


Their conversation was ended before it started by Ransom speaking up, starting to explain what they were going to be doing in practice that day. The locker room fell mostly quiet as they listened to one of their captains speak.  


Practice went on as usual, Dex and Nursey playing just as well, if not better than normal. They were both exhausted by the end of it, but that was nothing out of the usual. They hit the showers with everyone else, meeting back up at the lockers when they were done.  


Chowder came up to them, his usual bright smile on his face.  


“Hey guys! You wanna head to the caf with me and Cait?”  


Dex and Nursey shared a quick look before Dex shot Chowder an apologetic look.  


“Sorry, Chow, me and Dex were about to head to Annie’s for coffee. You two can come though if you want,” he offered.  


Nursey wouldn’t have minded going to the caf, but he shrugged and figured that this was still just Dex’s way of trying to pay him back. He nodded, repeating the offer as well as he didn’t mind 

the couple joining them.  


A look of confusion took over Chowder’s face, though it was shortly thereafter taken over by understanding.  


“Oh, it’s alright! You two have fun, I’ll catch up with you later!”  


He bounded back over to his stuff after that, causing Dex and Nursey to share another look, though this one was a bit more bewildered.  


“That was weird,” Dex said, voicing what they both had been thinking.  


Nursey nodded his agreement as he pulled pants up his legs.  


“Yeah, a bit. We can hang out with him later though, let’s get to Annie’s. I’m dying for a coffee.”  


Dex snorted and finished getting ready, putting on his hoodie before tossing his bag over his shoulder. The two walked out together, multiple pairs of eyes following them. It hadn’t gone unnoticed by the team how friendly the two were being, and theories were already beginning to form between those who were more gossip prone.  


The two d-men were oblivious to these rumors as they got to Annie’s and got in line, talking about the upcoming hockey game. When it was their turn in line Dex ordered without consulting with Derek, already knowing what kind of drink he would like. He ordered him a cinnamon bun as well, as they looked fresh and he felt like he deserved more than a drink as a repayment.  


They found a table once they got their food and drinks, sitting on opposite sides of each other and starting to enjoy the hot coffee. The topic of conversation turned back to Sophie, and they started coming up with plans as to how they would be able to keep her hidden. Derek mindlessly grabbed a piece of his cinnamon bun while they were talking, holding it up for Will to try.  


Dex took the bite off of the fork without thinking, humming at the taste. Once Derek realised that Dex liked the cinnamon bun as much as he did, he placed it in the middle of the table so that they could both pick at it. Time passed like it was nothing, and both boys were aware of the fact that this was probably the longest they had ever gone alone without any type of argument breaking out.  


After they realized that they had both been sitting with empty coffee cups, they stood up and threw out their trash. They walked back to the Haus together, heading down to the basement without thinking about it.  


Dex grinned as he saw Sophie’s little head perk up and walked over, sitting next to her and pulling her onto his lap. Derek came over next to them, sitting down and petting the cat as well. They fell back into their earlier conversation like it was nothing, playing with her as they did so. They planned out ways to keep the cat hidden, and they both knew that the real challenge was just beginning.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  


As it turns out, hiding a cat was much easier than initially anticipated. Throughout the next couple of days, Dex learned the best ways to get around having a secret kitten. Whenever somebody had to do laundry, he figured out a way to sneak the kitten up to the attic to chill with Nursey for a little bit. Together the two figured out their hausmates basic schedules, and any time somebody may be around the basement they tried to plan so that one of them would be there to keep her company- more so to keep her quiet.  


Before either of them knew it, Sophie’s cut was all healed up. The scabbing had gone away, leaving only a tiny mark of what was once there. However, with this meant that Dex had to get rid of her. That was his initial plan, to get rid of her as soon as she was better.  


Derek was the one to figure out that her cut was healed, but he was very reluctant in sharing this information. He had grown just as attached to this cat as Dex had, and he knew that neither of them _really _wanted to get rid of her. He knew he had to tell Dex this, though, so he brought it up one night when they were both doing homework in the basement together.__  


“So, uh, Sophie seems to be all better now,” he brought up awkwardly.  


Dex tensed slightly, looking over at the cat that was entertaining herself with one of the toys that Nursey had bought her. “Oh, I didn’t realize. I guess I should try and find a new home for her soon.”  


His voice wavered a bit, and despite his attempts at seeming fine with it the underlying reluctance was clear to Derek. He could tell that Will really did not want to give up this cat, and he suddenly decided that he wouldn’t let that happen.  


“I mean, we should keep her for another week at least. You know, just to make sure her cut doesn’t open up or anything. Just to be safe, of course.”  


Sensing the opportunity, Will immediately nodded along. “Yeah, of course. Wouldn’t wanna give her away when she’s still hurt. A couple more days couldn’t hurt.”  


As it turned out, a couple days extended into another month. Every time that either of them tried to bring up rehoming the cat, the other came up with an excuse as to why they couldn’t just yet. They knew that they wouldn’t be able to keep her hidden forever, but at this point they were ready to keep her until they were found out and forced to get rid of her.  


With the similar secret, the two had grown closer over that month. Derek often came down to check on her, and with that he and Dex hung out much more. The more they hung out, the more they got to talk and the more they realized that they were a good match for friends. Their constant bickering took on a fond and playful edge, instead of the usual resentment and annoyance it usually held. They still squabbled like children, but it was no longer hateful or mean at its core.  


While the cat went unnoticed to the others in the house, this did not. It came to a head one day when Dex was helping fix the fridge and Bitty was happily chatting away as he made a pie.  


“So, you and Nursey have become awfully close.”  


Dex had been mostly tuning out Bitty’s mindless babbling as he spoke, but his ears caught the use of Derek’s nickname. It took him a process to register what Bitty had said to him, but once he did the tips of his ear turned a bit pink from embarrassment.  


“Oh, uh, I guess so yeah. Been studying together a lot,” he replied.  
It wasn’t a complete lie, as him and Derek _had _been studying a lot. However, they often did more than just study, and most of the time they hung out they just talked or watched a movie together.__  


“Oh, you’ve been doing more than studying. Don’t think I haven’t been noticing all of those coffee dates young man.”  


Dex actually paused what he was doing at that, looking over at Bitty in bewilderment.  


“What? Those aren’t dates, Bitty. We just get coffee together.”  


Bitty simply hummed, a knowing look on his face as he continued to create the lattice for his cherry pie.  


“Whatever you say, honey. I guess it’s not a date when you go to brunch at Annie’s either.”  


Dex scowled, but the signature Poindexter blush was clear on his face.  


“Friends go out for lunch all the time, Bits. There’s nothing weird about that.”  


Bitty didn’t say anything further, though it was clear that he didn’t believe a word he had said. He had no idea where he had gotten the idea that he and Nursey were dating from, as he didn’t think they gave off that vibe at all. Sure they had been spending more time together recently, but he didn’t think that meant anything. He spent the rest of the time fixing the fridge in silence, a contemplative look on his face as he thought about what Bitty had said.  


He went back down to his basement when he was done, smiling slightly when he saw Sophie on his bed. He went over and flopped down, groaning into his pillow before turning his head to face the cat.  


“Sophs, I am so fucked.”  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  


Dex didn’t let this newfound revelation affect his friendship with Nursey. He was a bit awkward the first couple times they hung out afterwards, but soon things were back to normal. Well, the _new _normal, which included hanging out more often than not and continuing to care for their secret cat. Things were going great for a while as he ignored his feelings and focused on his cat.__  


They managed to keep her hidden for another month, much longer than either of them had anticipated. Eventually they had stopped attempting to get rid of her and just accepted the fact that they would be keeping her for as long as they could manage. As their secret was coming on three months, Dex was bombarded when he walked into the Haus.  


Both Holster and Ransom were waiting for him, serious looks on their face. They only managed to keep it up for a few more fear inducing moments before they cracked and smiled.  


“We know your secret,” Ransom stage whispered, causing a rush of fear mixed with anxiety to run through Dex.  


Most of it was for the fate of Sophie though, as he didn’t care about the consequences he would have to pay but he did care about what happened to his cat. He decided to play it cool and pretend that he had no idea what he was talking about.  


“What secret?”  


Ransom and Holster shared a look before giving him a deadpan one.  


“You know, Dex,” Holster started, “You and Nursey. We know, dude.”  


“I don’t know why you didn’t just tell us earlier, you know we wouldn’t care.”  


This caused confusion to run through Dex, and he voiced as such.  


“What? I thought it was like, a giant rule that it wasn’t allowed.”  


Both of his captains looked offended at just the thought and shook their heads, not believing that Dex actually thought that.  


“Dude, what on Earth gave you that idea? None of us have a problem with Bitty, I thought that was pretty damn obvious,” Ransom said indignantly.  


At that Dex was even more confused, his eyebrows knitting together as he tried to comprehend what on earth they were talking about.  


“What? Bitty has a cat? Since when?”  


Now it was Ransom and Holster’s turn to be confused, as they had no idea why Dex was talking about a cat.  


“Why the hell are you talking about cats, bro? We’re talking about you and Nursey dating,” Holster explained.  


“What? Me and Nurse aren’t dating. I thought you were talking about my cat.”  


Dex felt the blood drain from his face as he realized that he had just given himself away and knew that no matter how hard he tried he wouldn’t be able to get out of it. He had done so well at hiding it that he couldn’t believe that he had revealed it just like that.  


“Wait, but when we asked Nurse he said that you we- wait did you just say you had a cat?”  


Holster’s statement was laced with intrigue, almost as if he didn’t believe his ears. His words caused Dex’s eyes to widen as he figured out what he was about to say, but it was pushed to the back of his mind as he registered the rest of his statement.  


He sighed heavily and walked over to the basement door, holding up a hand as his captains said something about not being done talking. He opened the door, calling Sophie and hearing her come to the stairs. He made a noise to make her come up and crouched down, picking her up and cradling her to his chest. He walked back to the living room, a sheepish and anxious look on his face.  


“This is Sophie,” he said, watching the guys eyes widening.  


They spluttered over something to say for a minute as they stared at the cat in Will’s arms. It took them a minute to figure out what to say, but Ransom was the first to come up with something.  


“What the hell?” He asked eloquently.  


“How long have you been hiding a cat in the basement, exactly,” Holster added with a raised eyebrow.  


Dex did the mental math before replying with, “Almost three months.”  


His captains were left shocked again, as they had no idea how Dex had managed to keep something so big hidden for that long. Not only had they been fooled, but seemingly the entire Haus.  


“And Nursey knew?” Ransom chimed in.  


As if on cue, Nursey strolled through the front door with a relaxed smile on his face. He walked into the living room, seeing the other three and going to greet them before hearing Ransom.  


“I knew what?” He asked casually before noticing Sophie in Dex’s arms. “Oh, that.”  


Ransom and Holster took that as the yes that it was and simultaneously sighed. Holster pinched the bridge of his nose, looking like he was about to get very upset with them before Sophie suddenly bounced out of Will’s arms.  


He cursed and went to grab her, but she was bounding over to his captains before he could. She rubbed up against Holster’s legs, letting out a curious meow. The guy in question couldn’t help but crouch down, offering a hand for her to sniff. He waited for her to seemingly approve him before picking her up, holding her close to his chest. She looked even smaller than usual in his large hands, and he didn’t realize that his expression had softened as he looked down at her.  


Dex took this as his chance to explain, as Holster seemed to have momentarily lowered his guard.  


“We found her in a bush, but she had a cut on her side. I couldn’t just leave her there when she was hurt, so I brought her to the vet and then back here to heal. We kept her in the basement, but by the time she healed we were too attached to get rid of her.”  


Nursey had nervously inched closer to Dex as he rambled on, his own chill demeanor mostly gone for once. He didn’t want to get in trouble for hiding the cat, but more importantly he didn’t want to get rid of Sophie. Along with that, he was worried about how Dex would react to it.  


Ransom and Holster seemed to consider it for a moment before Holster handed her back to Dex.  


“We need to talk to everyone else, but for now bring her back down to the basement.”  


Ransom shot him a smile after he said it, sensing the anxiousness exuding off of them. He couldn’t guarantee that nothing would happen, but he didn’t want them to be so worried about it.  


Dex sighed and nodded, holding Sophie and shuffling over to the basement without another word. He walked down with Nurse following, sitting down on the bed and setting Sophie down on his lap. He pet her gently, scared that this would be the last time.  


Nursey walked over next after him, sitting down next to him and setting his hand on top of his.  


“It’ll be alright, Will. She’ll be fine, I’m sure we can somehow convince them to let us keep her.”  


He did his best to assure his friend, as he didn’t want him being so upset over getting caught.  


The use of his first name threw Dex off for a moment, as it wasn’t something he was used to hearing. It did help him calm down a bit though, as it made Nursey’s words seem more sincere.  


“I just don’t want to lose her,” he admit in a small voice.  


Derek moved closer to him, sitting shoulder to shoulder, “We won’t.”  


They spent the next painstaking amount of time playing with Sophie, as they wanted her to at the very least have fun on her last day. After what could have been 10 minutes or an hour to them, the basement door opened.  


“Come up, guys,” Ransom said before walking off.  


Derek and Will shared a look before getting up, making sure Sophie didn’t follow before walking up to the first floor. They walked to the living room, noticing that it was still just the captains there. They sat down on the couch when they were told too, exchanging nervous looks.  


“So, we talked to the rest of the Haus,” Ransom started, pausing for effect, “and we decided that you can keep the cat.”  


Dex’s eyes widened, and he let out a noise that was more relieved than he thought he was capable of.  


“You’ll both be in charge of taking care of her, and if she damages anything in the main house you have to fix it or buy a new one. You can let her up into the main house, but she still sleeps with one of you. You’ll also have to pay fines for lying about her and hiding her for this long, and you’re on dish duty for the next month.”  


Dex didn’t care what he had to pay or what he had to do, as long as he got to keep his cat.  


“Thank you guys so much, oh my god.”  


Derek’s earlier grin returned, both at the fact that they got to keep their cat and that Dex was so happy.  


“Chill, thanks bros. ‘Ppreciate it.”  


After they had both lost their worries and explained to their captains exactly how they hid her, they went back down to the basement. Derek immediately scooped Sophie up, pressing a kiss to her furry head.  


“Guess who’s staying here for good, babygirl?” He cooed as he sat down.  


Dex watched with a fond smile before a previous thought came back to him. He sat down next to Derek, contemplating how to bring it up before deciding to go with his usual method and just blurt it out.  


“Did you tell Ransom and Holster that we were dating?”  


Derek blinked at the sudden question and looked at Dex in confusion.  


“Uh, yeah? I didn’t think we were hiding it. Should I have kept that hidden? Shit, I probably should have asked you about that first. You just seemed so chill being open about it that I didn’t think about it.”  


It was Dex’s turn to blink at him in surprise at his words, “Wait, what? Nurse, we aren’t dating.”  


“Wait, we aren’t” Nursey asked, eyes wide with surprise.  


Dex spluttered at his response before shaking his head. “No! Why does everybody think that? Even you, apparently. That’s never something that happened.”  


“I thought we’ve been dating for like, at least 3 weeks now? We go on dates all the time, and practically every time we don’t have anything to do we’re together. Hell, you brought me coffee the other day just because I complained about being tired. Then you walked me to class afterwards, Dex.”  


“B-but we haven’t even kissed! How are we dating and we haven’t even kissed?”  


Derek shrugged at the question, “I thought you just wanted to take it slow.”  


Dex’s mind was running a mile a minute as it tried to connect all of the dots. While it was true that he had been doing all of those things, he didn’t think that it meant that they were dating. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Most of the stuff they did could be considered coupley, despite the lack of physical affection. However, looking back that wasn’t even true as half the time they watched a movie they ended up practically cuddling on his bed.  


“Well shit, we’re dating, aren’t we?”  


Derek let out a sudden laugh at that, grin wide on his face as he nodded. “Yeah, we kinda are Dex. Glad that you’re also aware of that, now.”  


Dex couldn’t help but laugh as well at the incredulousness of it all, “Does that mean that my crush wasn’t unrequited?”  


Derek snorted and shook his head, deciding to take a leap and lean in to give Dex a quick kiss to his lips.  


“Does that answer your question?” He asked in a quiet voice as he looked up at Dex’s stunned expression.  


Dex nodded dumbly, not responding verbally in favor of leaning in to kiss his _boyfriend _again instead.__


End file.
